Alan Maley - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Alan Maley
English teaching professional, 2021
The Canadian Modern Language Review / La revue canadienne des langues vivantes, 2006
ABSTRACT The Canadian Modern Language Review / La revue canadienne des langues vivantes 62.3 (200... more ABSTRACT The Canadian Modern Language Review / La revue canadienne des langues vivantes 62.3 (2006) 476-480 This book offers a collection of 18 papers, most of which were originally presented at the Second International Conference on Language Teacher Education, held at the University of Minnesota in May 2001. The contents are organized around four major themes, all very relevant to language teacher education: (1) the knowledge base of L2 teacher education, (2) contexts of L2 teacher education, (3) collaborations in L2 teaching, and (4) L2 teacher education in practice. However, what first strikes the reader is the mismatch between the 'international perspectives' proclaimed in the title and the fact that most of the contributions are US-centred. Fifteen of the contributions were written by scholars working in US institutions, and only one comes from a non-English speaking country. A look at the settings where the studies are actually conducted shows that only five of them relate to non-US realities, and only two are set in an EFL context. This wouldn't be a problem had the editors not chosen to use the word 'international' in their title, probably with the intention of attracting a wider audience, and had the cover of the book not also displayed a world map. Avoiding the word 'international' would have more accurately reflected the book's contents, some of which are certainly enlightening and deserve the attention of readers interested in language teaching and teacher education. The book opens with Tarone and Allwright's critique of a previous article by Freeman and Johnson (1998). The chapter provides a useful terminological distinction and outlines two possible fallacies in teacher education programs:'the academia fallacy,' that is, the naive assumption that providing teacher learners with theoretical knowledge will enable them to perform their teaching activity successfully; and 'the noninterface fallacy,' the assumption that teacher education will happen only within the language classroom. The authors criticize Freeman and Johnson's apparent support for the noninterface fallacy, and they further claim that different types of teachers require different types of training. Freeman and Johnson respond briefly to Tarone and Allwright's criticisms in chapter 2, although they do not go into further detail beyond a few clarifications of their original intended meaning. Chapter 3 by Scarino reports on a study of a French teacher's introspections on the assessment of two students' writing assignments in Australia. Although the title of the contribution points the reader to values and ethical dispositions as components of teacher knowledge, Scarino fails to make an effective case for the existence of 'ethical knowing,' simply presenting some excerpts of the teacher's views on two students and their compositions. Only in the final paragraph is teacher education mentioned, which appears to be a concession to the overall topic of the volume. Johnston, Pawan, and Mahan-Taylor present a good chapter on in-service teachers' professional development, albeit – as acknowledged by the authors – limited in the scope of the research, all data coming exclusively from a single semi-structured interview with an expatriate teacher. This chapter is reported to be part of a larger study involving 12 graduates from a US master's degree program, which undoubtedly will be worth reading. The last chapter within the first theme, also authored by Freeman and Johnson, considers the link between teacher knowledge and student learning. The authors centre their analysis on the role played by the overhead projector in one teacher's classes, but they do not provide a thorough analysis, except for a brief, somewhat vague description of a task involving students' identification of instances of learning. The authors conclude by claiming that any approach to teacher knowledge and student learning must go beyond measures of student performance and incorporate social values and beliefs. The book's second theme starts with a thought-provoking contribution by Shohamy that accounts for the deep impact of tests on society. Although this idea is more extensively developed...
Introduction Prof. Alan Maley has been involved in English Language Teaching (ELT) for over 50 ye... more Introduction Prof. Alan Maley has been involved in English Language Teaching (ELT) for over 50 years. He worked for the British Council in Yugoslavia, Ghana, Italy, France, China and India. For 5 years he was Director of the Bell Educational Trust in Cambridge. He worked in universities in Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia as well as in his native country, UK. For 25 years Alan was Series Editor for the OUP Resource Books for Teachers series. He has published over 40 books and numerous articles.
The Journal of AsiaTEFL, 2020
Plausibility" as a concept is a state of knowledge which is short of certainty (Prabhu, 2019, p. ... more Plausibility" as a concept is a state of knowledge which is short of certainty (Prabhu, 2019, p. 6). It refers to knowledge that teachers themselves develop through experience. Sometimes it evolves out of the existing knowledge of teachers which is derived from formal education. The effect of teacher experience leads to some form of evolution of teacher expertise-it is in a constant state of flux, and as a result, the teacher even modifies formal and prior knowledge within the context of experience. There seems to be inert hypothesis testing on theories and practice in the minds of teachers. The present study rests on the theoretical base proposed by Prabhu (1987) on Teachers' Sense of Plausibility (TSOP), which was later elaborated on by Kumaravadivelu (1994) and Maley (2016). The methodology of the study involved content analysis, with qualitative interpretation and reporting procedures. It involved the analyses of the narratives of 20 experienced teachers from various continents and countries, about Teachers' Sense of Plausibility (TSOP). These full narratives were published in the book 'Developing Expertise through Experience' (Maley, 2019b). The findings of our analyses revealed some commonalities within the narratives with regards TSOP. These commonalities are fleshed out, analyzed, and reported in the form of five themes. We hope that the renewed interest in TSOP will benefit future teacher professional development initiatives.
English Teaching Professional, 2014
The Modern Language Journal, 1985
Drama Techniques in Language Learning: A resource book of communication activities for language t... more Drama Techniques in Language Learning: A resource book of communication activities for language teachers. New ed. By Alan Maley and Alan Duff. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1982. Pp 234.
Part 1: Background to the book ..
ELT Journal, 2006
... He begins by reviewing various proposals, including ELF, for English in international communi... more ... He begins by reviewing various proposals, including ELF, for English in international communication. ... He goes on to set out his own position, including questions for language planning, curriculum development, and teachers. ...
Journal of NELTA, 2018
This short article is an attempt to specify more clearly what we might mean by the term ‘context... more This short article is an attempt to specify more clearly what we might mean by the term ‘context’. I examine six aspects of context: Physical, ametrial and economic; Socio-poloitical and religious; l Linguistic; Philosophical and educational; Family and peer group; Psychological, relational and affective. I discuss each of these relating to the classroomteaching and learning of English. Journal of NELTA, Vol 20 No. 1-2, December 2015, Page: 1-4
A collection of 20 extremely short stories for intermediate students in authentic English, coveri... more A collection of 20 extremely short stories for intermediate students in authentic English, covering a variety of genre, from comedy to adventure and set in countries such as China, Frnace, Israel and Britain. There are language practice exercises and discussion questions at the back of each book.
Thanks To the student 1. Who is today? 2. Memories 3. Running away 4. Goodbyes 5. What happened? ... more Thanks To the student 1. Who is today? 2. Memories 3. Running away 4. Goodbyes 5. What happened? 6. It's mine ... 7. Nonsense! 8. Construction 9. The takeover 10. On reflection 11. The daily shuttle 12. Waking 13. Nobody 14. Pain 15. Still together To the teacher Key Acknowledgements.
The chapter first reviews major shifts in thinking about methodology—from the Communicative Appro... more The chapter first reviews major shifts in thinking about methodology—from the Communicative Approach, through corpus influences, the impact of discourse analysis and lexicology, extensive reading, humanistic currents, Prabhu’s procedural syllabus and task-based learning—and to more recent developments in Dogme and CLIL. We consider the questionable creative contributions of testing, technology and materials on the domain of methodology. The designer methods of the 1970s are also discussed. We consider why such highly creative methods have so little impact. We then present some more personal contributions, including Graham’s jazz chants, drama, positive psychology and so on. Finally we relate the factors of person, process, product and press to creative methodology.
Creativity and English Language Teaching, 2017
Given the importance of personal qualities which emerged from Chap. 7, we consider how teachers c... more Given the importance of personal qualities which emerged from Chap. 7, we consider how teachers can develop their own creativity as a basis for teaching more creatively. We present 13 possible avenues to explore, including learning a new skill, developing meditative practices, practising exercise routines for the body and the voice, reducing stress through walking and fishing, reading to spark new ideas, keeping a commonplace book, building networks, developing close observation, experimenting with changing habits and re-discovering physical awareness through the five senses. These ideas are intended to open teachers to extending personal experience as a precursor to creativity.
Creativity and English Language Teaching, 2017
The chapter sets out some of the pore-requisites for more creative teaching. It first outlines wh... more The chapter sets out some of the pore-requisites for more creative teaching. It first outlines what creative teachers do and moves on to list the relevant motivational strategies described by Dornyei. It also reviews the eight key factors of Read’s Reflective Teacher Wheel. It then presents our own key, practical strategies for achieving a creative climate in the classroom. These reflect the discussion in earlier parts of the book: the importance of atmosphere, using task constraints, offering variety, using aesthetic inputs, using humour and surprise, publishing student work, developing observation and curiosity, giving helpful feedback, ensuring activities are done regularly, offering a role model, setting high expectations, applying the principles of Acknowledge, Listen, Challenge, Support. Many of these are intangibles but no less important for that.
Indonesian JELT: Indonesian Journal of English Language Teaching, 2016
My aim is to give substance to Prabhu’s (1987) concept of ‘the teacher’s sense of plausibility’. ... more My aim is to give substance to Prabhu’s (1987) concept of ‘the teacher’s sense of plausibility’. That is to say, explore the way teachers develop professionally and personally by building a personal theory of teaching action based upon their own accumulated experiences - and reflection on them. Objective history is useful but perhaps more interesting are our personal histories. In this paper I shall attempt to link my own personal history in ELT to the places I have worked in, to the personalities I have encountered, to the evolving currents of ideas and publications, and to key critical moments in my own development. I shall weave together the five strands of places, personalities, ideas, publications and critical moments to demonstrate how they have influenced the direction of my own continuing development of a personal ‘theory’ of teaching. I shall suggest that this kind of reflective process can be a valuable element within the framework of teacher development as a whole.
1 Bahasa Inggris Studi Dan Pengajaran Sound Intriguing Resource Material For Teachers Alan Maley Alan Duff, 1992
Elt Journal an International Journal For Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, 2005
English teaching professional, 2021
The Canadian Modern Language Review / La revue canadienne des langues vivantes, 2006
ABSTRACT The Canadian Modern Language Review / La revue canadienne des langues vivantes 62.3 (200... more ABSTRACT The Canadian Modern Language Review / La revue canadienne des langues vivantes 62.3 (2006) 476-480 This book offers a collection of 18 papers, most of which were originally presented at the Second International Conference on Language Teacher Education, held at the University of Minnesota in May 2001. The contents are organized around four major themes, all very relevant to language teacher education: (1) the knowledge base of L2 teacher education, (2) contexts of L2 teacher education, (3) collaborations in L2 teaching, and (4) L2 teacher education in practice. However, what first strikes the reader is the mismatch between the 'international perspectives' proclaimed in the title and the fact that most of the contributions are US-centred. Fifteen of the contributions were written by scholars working in US institutions, and only one comes from a non-English speaking country. A look at the settings where the studies are actually conducted shows that only five of them relate to non-US realities, and only two are set in an EFL context. This wouldn't be a problem had the editors not chosen to use the word 'international' in their title, probably with the intention of attracting a wider audience, and had the cover of the book not also displayed a world map. Avoiding the word 'international' would have more accurately reflected the book's contents, some of which are certainly enlightening and deserve the attention of readers interested in language teaching and teacher education. The book opens with Tarone and Allwright's critique of a previous article by Freeman and Johnson (1998). The chapter provides a useful terminological distinction and outlines two possible fallacies in teacher education programs:'the academia fallacy,' that is, the naive assumption that providing teacher learners with theoretical knowledge will enable them to perform their teaching activity successfully; and 'the noninterface fallacy,' the assumption that teacher education will happen only within the language classroom. The authors criticize Freeman and Johnson's apparent support for the noninterface fallacy, and they further claim that different types of teachers require different types of training. Freeman and Johnson respond briefly to Tarone and Allwright's criticisms in chapter 2, although they do not go into further detail beyond a few clarifications of their original intended meaning. Chapter 3 by Scarino reports on a study of a French teacher's introspections on the assessment of two students' writing assignments in Australia. Although the title of the contribution points the reader to values and ethical dispositions as components of teacher knowledge, Scarino fails to make an effective case for the existence of 'ethical knowing,' simply presenting some excerpts of the teacher's views on two students and their compositions. Only in the final paragraph is teacher education mentioned, which appears to be a concession to the overall topic of the volume. Johnston, Pawan, and Mahan-Taylor present a good chapter on in-service teachers' professional development, albeit – as acknowledged by the authors – limited in the scope of the research, all data coming exclusively from a single semi-structured interview with an expatriate teacher. This chapter is reported to be part of a larger study involving 12 graduates from a US master's degree program, which undoubtedly will be worth reading. The last chapter within the first theme, also authored by Freeman and Johnson, considers the link between teacher knowledge and student learning. The authors centre their analysis on the role played by the overhead projector in one teacher's classes, but they do not provide a thorough analysis, except for a brief, somewhat vague description of a task involving students' identification of instances of learning. The authors conclude by claiming that any approach to teacher knowledge and student learning must go beyond measures of student performance and incorporate social values and beliefs. The book's second theme starts with a thought-provoking contribution by Shohamy that accounts for the deep impact of tests on society. Although this idea is more extensively developed...
Introduction Prof. Alan Maley has been involved in English Language Teaching (ELT) for over 50 ye... more Introduction Prof. Alan Maley has been involved in English Language Teaching (ELT) for over 50 years. He worked for the British Council in Yugoslavia, Ghana, Italy, France, China and India. For 5 years he was Director of the Bell Educational Trust in Cambridge. He worked in universities in Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia as well as in his native country, UK. For 25 years Alan was Series Editor for the OUP Resource Books for Teachers series. He has published over 40 books and numerous articles.
The Journal of AsiaTEFL, 2020
Plausibility" as a concept is a state of knowledge which is short of certainty (Prabhu, 2019, p. ... more Plausibility" as a concept is a state of knowledge which is short of certainty (Prabhu, 2019, p. 6). It refers to knowledge that teachers themselves develop through experience. Sometimes it evolves out of the existing knowledge of teachers which is derived from formal education. The effect of teacher experience leads to some form of evolution of teacher expertise-it is in a constant state of flux, and as a result, the teacher even modifies formal and prior knowledge within the context of experience. There seems to be inert hypothesis testing on theories and practice in the minds of teachers. The present study rests on the theoretical base proposed by Prabhu (1987) on Teachers' Sense of Plausibility (TSOP), which was later elaborated on by Kumaravadivelu (1994) and Maley (2016). The methodology of the study involved content analysis, with qualitative interpretation and reporting procedures. It involved the analyses of the narratives of 20 experienced teachers from various continents and countries, about Teachers' Sense of Plausibility (TSOP). These full narratives were published in the book 'Developing Expertise through Experience' (Maley, 2019b). The findings of our analyses revealed some commonalities within the narratives with regards TSOP. These commonalities are fleshed out, analyzed, and reported in the form of five themes. We hope that the renewed interest in TSOP will benefit future teacher professional development initiatives.
English Teaching Professional, 2014
The Modern Language Journal, 1985
Drama Techniques in Language Learning: A resource book of communication activities for language t... more Drama Techniques in Language Learning: A resource book of communication activities for language teachers. New ed. By Alan Maley and Alan Duff. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 1982. Pp 234.
Part 1: Background to the book ..
ELT Journal, 2006
... He begins by reviewing various proposals, including ELF, for English in international communi... more ... He begins by reviewing various proposals, including ELF, for English in international communication. ... He goes on to set out his own position, including questions for language planning, curriculum development, and teachers. ...
Journal of NELTA, 2018
This short article is an attempt to specify more clearly what we might mean by the term ‘context... more This short article is an attempt to specify more clearly what we might mean by the term ‘context’. I examine six aspects of context: Physical, ametrial and economic; Socio-poloitical and religious; l Linguistic; Philosophical and educational; Family and peer group; Psychological, relational and affective. I discuss each of these relating to the classroomteaching and learning of English. Journal of NELTA, Vol 20 No. 1-2, December 2015, Page: 1-4
A collection of 20 extremely short stories for intermediate students in authentic English, coveri... more A collection of 20 extremely short stories for intermediate students in authentic English, covering a variety of genre, from comedy to adventure and set in countries such as China, Frnace, Israel and Britain. There are language practice exercises and discussion questions at the back of each book.
Thanks To the student 1. Who is today? 2. Memories 3. Running away 4. Goodbyes 5. What happened? ... more Thanks To the student 1. Who is today? 2. Memories 3. Running away 4. Goodbyes 5. What happened? 6. It's mine ... 7. Nonsense! 8. Construction 9. The takeover 10. On reflection 11. The daily shuttle 12. Waking 13. Nobody 14. Pain 15. Still together To the teacher Key Acknowledgements.
The chapter first reviews major shifts in thinking about methodology—from the Communicative Appro... more The chapter first reviews major shifts in thinking about methodology—from the Communicative Approach, through corpus influences, the impact of discourse analysis and lexicology, extensive reading, humanistic currents, Prabhu’s procedural syllabus and task-based learning—and to more recent developments in Dogme and CLIL. We consider the questionable creative contributions of testing, technology and materials on the domain of methodology. The designer methods of the 1970s are also discussed. We consider why such highly creative methods have so little impact. We then present some more personal contributions, including Graham’s jazz chants, drama, positive psychology and so on. Finally we relate the factors of person, process, product and press to creative methodology.
Creativity and English Language Teaching, 2017
Given the importance of personal qualities which emerged from Chap. 7, we consider how teachers c... more Given the importance of personal qualities which emerged from Chap. 7, we consider how teachers can develop their own creativity as a basis for teaching more creatively. We present 13 possible avenues to explore, including learning a new skill, developing meditative practices, practising exercise routines for the body and the voice, reducing stress through walking and fishing, reading to spark new ideas, keeping a commonplace book, building networks, developing close observation, experimenting with changing habits and re-discovering physical awareness through the five senses. These ideas are intended to open teachers to extending personal experience as a precursor to creativity.
Creativity and English Language Teaching, 2017
The chapter sets out some of the pore-requisites for more creative teaching. It first outlines wh... more The chapter sets out some of the pore-requisites for more creative teaching. It first outlines what creative teachers do and moves on to list the relevant motivational strategies described by Dornyei. It also reviews the eight key factors of Read’s Reflective Teacher Wheel. It then presents our own key, practical strategies for achieving a creative climate in the classroom. These reflect the discussion in earlier parts of the book: the importance of atmosphere, using task constraints, offering variety, using aesthetic inputs, using humour and surprise, publishing student work, developing observation and curiosity, giving helpful feedback, ensuring activities are done regularly, offering a role model, setting high expectations, applying the principles of Acknowledge, Listen, Challenge, Support. Many of these are intangibles but no less important for that.
Indonesian JELT: Indonesian Journal of English Language Teaching, 2016
My aim is to give substance to Prabhu’s (1987) concept of ‘the teacher’s sense of plausibility’. ... more My aim is to give substance to Prabhu’s (1987) concept of ‘the teacher’s sense of plausibility’. That is to say, explore the way teachers develop professionally and personally by building a personal theory of teaching action based upon their own accumulated experiences - and reflection on them. Objective history is useful but perhaps more interesting are our personal histories. In this paper I shall attempt to link my own personal history in ELT to the places I have worked in, to the personalities I have encountered, to the evolving currents of ideas and publications, and to key critical moments in my own development. I shall weave together the five strands of places, personalities, ideas, publications and critical moments to demonstrate how they have influenced the direction of my own continuing development of a personal ‘theory’ of teaching. I shall suggest that this kind of reflective process can be a valuable element within the framework of teacher development as a whole.
1 Bahasa Inggris Studi Dan Pengajaran Sound Intriguing Resource Material For Teachers Alan Maley Alan Duff, 1992
Elt Journal an International Journal For Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, 2005